The Way to Carry On
by Crumpled Piece Of Paper
Summary: AU, IYxover What if Ancient Egypt and Ancient Japan weren't so far away after all? Kisara happens to have ties in both, it would seem... retitled, being rewritten...again
1. Kisara

**Because I Love You**

**By Crumpled Piece of Paper**

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**Chapter One  
Kisara**

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It was the middle of the night, and all was quiet in the forest surrounding the castle, though inside it was a different story entirely. Down a long hall, one to the left, twice to the right, candlelight flickered against the walls, and hurried orders were barked out.

"You, hot water, pronto!"

"Get out of the way Sesshoumaru!"

"But I-"

"Not now son! Go wait in the hall!"

"We need some warm clothes, quickly now!"

"You're going to have to move faster then that!"

"It's all right Lady Taisho, Just relax, everything's going fine."

The last voice belonged to an old birthing woman, a sheep youkai, who was trying to soothe the laboring woman. She was the wife of their lord, Taisho, and was in the process of delivering his second child. Unfortunately, things were not as smooth as her first time around, luckily though, she had her husband right beside her, talking to her constantly.

It took some time, but eventually they were able to move Sachiru from her place on the bed into a tub of warm water. This would make the birth easier on both mother and child. The woman's bright blue eyes opened for one of the first times since her contractions began. She looked at Taisho and gave a weak smile before scrunching her face up again in pain. He gave her a small kiss on her forehead and held her hand tightly.

Meanwhile, out in the hallway, a five-year-old Sesshoumaru leaned against the wall with his ear pressed against the side of the room, a bit worried. He didn't know exactly what was happening; he just knew that his mother was in pain, and that there was a lot of fuss. His parents had been telling him for awhile now he'd soon have a sibling around, he knew it was in his mother's stomach, though he still had no idea how it got there.

He winced as his mother cried out for probably the hundredth time that night, and sank to the floor. He stayed there for awhile, and didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until he felt someone shaking him. Groggily he opened his eyes and sat up to see his father's smiling face. His father looked much like him, save for a few key differences. His father kept his long hair tied into a ponytail, and the stripes across his face were darker, thicker and jagged, where as Sesshoumaru's were thin, straight and nearly magenta in color. The moons on both their foreheads were identical, true signs of their place in the hierarchy of demon society.

Sesshoumaru gave him a questioning look, and then noticed everything was quiet.

"Father," He asked worriedly, "what happened?"

His father just gave his son a light smile and stood from his crouch. "Come here, Sesshoumaru."

The Inu lord walked back into the room Sesshoumaru had been kicked out of a few hours earlier. All but three maids were still around, the three that were still around were dismissed from the room by Taisho with a wave of his hand. The Lady of the lands was resting on the bed, her long silver-blue hair spread about her in silky waves.

As her husband and son entered the room, her glittering blue eyes looked to them, filled with happiness, but also much exhaustion. She extended an hand to the young prince, and he took it eagerly, scrambling up the side of the bed to sit beside her. Taisho took a place on the end, his face also flooded with happiness and pride. It was only now Sesshoumaru noticed the bundle in his mother's arms.

He looked to her for permission, of which she gave a light nod and a smile. The child moved back a few folds of fabric to gaze upon the chubby face of his newborn sister. She blinked up at him with large blue eyes, clearly seeing him. Already she had a few strands of light silver hair, and she had no markings on her face, same as her mother. She freed one chubby hand from the blankets. Filled with wonder, the five year old prince took her hand, a smile creeping over his features.

"Mother, what's her name?"

The Lady looked over at her husband. They'd been debating over names for some time, finally each coming down to one name each. The look in Taisho's eyes told her that she'd won this little feud. It didn't bother him much, he'd been able to name Sesshoumaru after all.

The Lady ran her free hand through her young son's hair before replying, "Kisara. Her name is Kisara."

Taisho stood by his wife's side now, planting a small kiss on his beloved's forehead. It seemed their family was complete. Taisho had his heir, And his wife had her daughter to carry on her secret. All in all, life was good for the family, however, in a few years, things would only get worse.

**One Year Later**

Lady of the West, Sachiru, was having a rough day. Her husband, Taisho, was off to converse with the Lord of the South, and most of the housemaids had the day off. What does all of this add up to? Her children were driving her insane.

Sesshoumaru, her eldest at six, was running around the house, tipping things over and generally reaking havoc. Her daughter, Kisara at just one year, was latched onto his back, her hands each gripping a handful of Sesshoumaru's long hair. And while the prince was having a hell of a time getting her off, Kisara was having a ball, squealing with delight

Sachiru got up from her place in the library, this was one day she was not going to get any relaxation. Opening the door she knew immediately her children had been outside. Muddy foot prints and handprints lined the hallway, along with a few flowers, the roots still attached. A potted plant had been spilled out over the floor. With a slight growl she followed the trail. It lead back outside. To the pond. It was summer, and the pond that was in the courtyard was suffering water loss. The pond fish had been moved to a bigger location, but the plants had died. With no roots to hold the earth, mud was abundant. And like all children, hers were drawn to it.

Her hands on her hips, The Lady's flashing eyes looked upon two mud balls screaming and rolling around together, one in happiness, the other in pain as his hair was ripped out. All this came to a dead halt, however as they saw their mother standing above them, like an angry goddess.

Sesshoumaru hunched back, knowing that he was in trouble. The naïve Kisara, however, waved a muddy hand at her mother. "Hi Mommy!" She said with a smile. Sesshoumaru's golden eyes (being the only thing to show through the mud) gave her an odd look. Kisara's bright blue eyes looked back at him, wondering why he was starting at her.

With a slight grimace, the lady squelched over to her children, she, however, misjudged the slipperiness of said mud, and in seemingly slow motion, did a wicked face plant. Kisara squealed happily, and even Sesshoumaru couldn't fight the giggles. Sachiru gave an exasperated look to the sky, searching for an answer of some kind.

She squelched back into the house, a child under each arm. Not even bothering to say hello to Taisho, who had just returned and was staring at her oddly, she shoved Sesshoumaru and Kisara into his arms.

"Clean your kids." She huffed, marching off to the separate, more secluded springs behind her and Taisho's room.

The Lord looked down at the muddy kids with a light smile. He had a good sense of humor, and saw the comedy in all of this, no doubt he would tease Sachiru afterwards, but for now, well…

"Hi Daddy!" Kisara squeaked, her smile one of the only things that shone through her mud coat.

Later that evening, as the household slept, a light sound of bare feet against highly polished wood stood out against the silence.

Sliding open the rice door, Kisara entered her brother's room. "Sesomawu?" She said, having a hard time pronouncing his name correctly. The dreary form sat up and with a light yawn the boy replied, "What is it Kisara? It's still dark out."

Kisara, who had been standing next to the door, ran over and jumped on the bed, her eyes filled with tears. "I'm scared. Something bad is gonna happen." She whimpered, hugging her brother close, tears pooling in her large eyes. Sesshoumaru gave her a questioning look, obviously irritated. "That's nonsense. Nothings going to happen, it's all in your head."

She looked up at him, "Really?" He nodded, "I'm sure of it; now go on back to bed." It was a good try, but Sesshoumaru knew that nothing was going to get his little sister to leave the room. With a heavy sigh and another yawn, he got up out of bed and closed the door, only to find upon returning, Kisara had already buried herself under the covers and was fast asleep. He followed suit, and soon enough, the house was silent once more.

The rest of the week passed by normally, but a few days into the next week, and something had gone terribly wrong.

Sesshoumaru and Kisara were sitting outside the door to their parent's room, worried expressions apparent on both their faces. Kisara's chubby face was streaked with tears and she was still sobbing, though her tears had long since run out. Sesshoumaru knew that he wasn't allowed to cry, men didn't cry, no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't. He had to be strong for Kisara. But it was hard, and a knot was stuck in his throat as he fought the tears.

"What's going to happen?" She asked, her speech surprisingly clear for a child her age, gazing up at her brother, her role model, her hero. He always had an answer for her.

"…I..I don't know." He whispered, looking away

Kisara burst into a fresh wave of tears, and Sesshoumaru immediately drew her in close. Their mother, whom they loved beyond all reason, was dead.

The doctor had no reasonable conclusion, he said her could find no evidence of her death, but there she was, As cold and lifeless as a rock. She looked stunning, even in death. Her face was extremely pale, but her sharp features and silver hair were amplified in the cold light of the moon. The children were almost afraid to approach her.

She was placed a top a mountain of sticks, that of which had just been coated with oil. With grieving hearts, the two children watched the flames take their mother into the smoldering depths of the spirit world. Kisara was crying, though she did not sob, the tears just sort of flowed down her face and onto the grass.

Sesshoumaru's eyes were filled with tears as well, but the firm hand of his father on his shoulder prevented them from falling.

Taisho was standing stiff, his golden eyes hard and unblinking as they danced with the light of the fire. He was dressed in his battle attire, two furry cloaks, a thick breastplate with spikes, metal toed boots, and a white kimono with purple markings on the sleeves and shoulders. Kisara and Sesshoumaru both wore simple blue kimonos of the same type, a blue haori, black obi, and blue hakama pants with no shoes, showing that they were too young to be recognized.

The family turned away from the pyre and headed for home. Sachiru's ashes were to be buried under a large Sakura tree in the courtyard, next to the pond.

As they walked, Kisara snuggled deep into her father's arms, asleep with all the trauma and grief, Sesshoumaru walked by his father's left side, a single line of tears running down his cheek.

It was hard to beleive she was not going to be there when he woke up the next morning, that she'd never give him one of her warm smiles, or hold him close when he was afraid. He'd never hear her sing to him again. The pain inside him tore at his heart, and left him feeling as though he'd never smile again. And indeed, it was a very long time before he did...

**-Chapter One End-**

I've taken out the Review Replies for this story, seeing as how the new respose system is up, and it's become illegal. I don't know yet if this new system is a good thing or not, but until I find out, I'm going to just follow the rules. 


	2. Taisho Departs

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**Chapter Two  
Taisho Departs**

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**2 Years Later.**

"What?" Sesshoumaru yelled, looking at his father in disbelief and horror, "You can't be serious!" Sesshoumaru backed away from Taisho, his surprise edging over into anger, bright gold eyes glaring not only at his father, but the human woman behind him who held his hand tightly, seemingly frightened of him.

His father wasn't amused, and locked on to his son's glare with a far more superior and frightening gaze that made Sesshoumaru lower his head. Taisho had just informed his son that he had taken a new wife, and that she would be staying here now, with them. Sesshoumaru was outraged, amazed his father would do that to them, to his mother! It wasn't fair. It was too soon...

Angry tears welled up in his eyes as he whispered three words, "I hate you." And then ran out of the room, down the hall to his quarters, the rice door cracking shut. The human woman looked up at Taisho worriedly, but he just closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, looking down at his daughter instead.

Kisara wasn't nearly as upset. She was clutching her fathers leg, peering at the new woman, not fully understanding who she was, being only three years of age. Taisho seemed to be recovering from his son's reaction to the news, Sesshoumaru being eight, knew perfectly well that this woman would try to play the role of his mother, and the fact his father would replace her so quickly, and with a human no less, hurt him deeply.

"Kisara, " he said softly, "I'd like to meet Izayoi, She'll be living here with us now."

The little girl peered around, not only her father's leg, but also the two furry cloaks he wore to stare at the woman, who smiled softly at her. Kisara gave a small smile and ducked back behind Taisho's leg, shy. The lord gave her a little nudge, and she walked out in front of Izayoi.

"Hello…" Kisara said, still a bit timid.

Izayoi crouched down, her fine kimono drapping over the floor in silky layers. Even Sachiru didn't have garbs like these. "Hello, Kisara, It's nice to meet you."

Kisara smiled again, the woman had a soft voice, and Kisara liked her.

Taisho gave a light smile and left the room. He had business to attend to elsewhere. As he passed Sesshoumaru's room, he paused, but continued on his way without a word.

Inside the room, Sesshoumaru was sitting next to his bed, away from the door, staring at the letter his mother had left for him. His father had given it to him last year, just after Sesshoumaru finished training for the day, He had said that Sachiru wanted him to have it.

Sesshoumaru had read the letter, but it was so confusing, he didn't understand any of it, only that she'd said she'd loved him and asking him to protect Kisara. A ribbon had been tied around the letter, one of his mother's, and as of know the young prince was running the silk through his fingers, letting out his anger silently. He tried not to think, but slowly memories plauged his mind.

Sesshoumaru had held a strong bond with his mother, his father never compared to her. He had never showed him the love his mother had. His father (he thought) had only been thinking of him as an heir, someone to carry on his name, it wasn't love he showed, but discipline. His hand clenched the ribbon and he bit his lower lip at the thought. _Discipline..._ , He thought, _All you want to do is bend me to be the perfect heir. You don't care about me. You don't care..._

Kisara was still too young to understand the rules of marriage and love. She knew she had loved her mother, and that she had been extremely sad when she left, but for some reason, was not too deeply affected by the parting of her. She loved her father dearly, as well as her brother. This woman was new, but as she spoke to her, Kisara also knew she was really nice, and liked her. The little girl didn't mind that she was living here, and acctually welcomed her presence. Then again, even if Izayoi had been nasty, her aura would not have collided with Kisara's.

You see, even though her father was an inu youkai, Kisara was not; not even part. Sesshoumaru was still full inu youkai. Due to his mother's genetics, he carried only his father's DNA. Sachiru had not been a demon. She wasn't human either, though. She was in fact, a deity. Inside her she had held an ancient dragon spirit, of which has been passed on to Kisara. It lies dormnat, deep inside her soul, waiting for the right time to come. In a way, it was as if all of Kisara's ancestors, her mother, her mother's mother, all of them, were living within her, and would always bee there to protect her, no matter what. It is this undying collection of souls that makes her aura compatible with all, save one.

**2 years later**

"I don't understand…" Izayoi said, her deep grey eyes welling up with tears. The Taiyoukai sighed, meeting the stormy depths of his mate with his own glowing amber gaze, "Izayoi, you know very well why this has to be done." She began to turn away from him, not wanting to hear, but a clawed hand on her shoulder kept her in place, "Listen to me, I know what I'm doing, and I know that it's in our best interest."

Her sad eyes met his again, doubtful, "It's a suicide mission! You know it is! You can't just leave me here alone!" A hand went to wrap around her swollen belly, her emotions apparently having a negative effect on her child as it squirmed within her. She was almost eight and a half months into her pregnancy, and she didn't know what was worse, the hell this kid was putting her though, or the fact it may never be able to see it's father. She bit her lip and stared at the floor, whispering, "I love you too much to let you do this, Taisho..."

Taisho's gaze liquefied at seeing his mate in distress, and he moved over to embrace her from behind, his chin tucked into the nook between her neck and shoulder, his arms wrapped around just below her breasts, not able to reach around any other part of her expanded middle.

Izayoi calmed under his embrace, and brought up yet another, less crucial topic they'd been bantering over for awhile, "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Her voice was soft, hardly above a whisper.

The demon lord sighed softly, having already stated his opinion thousands of times before. He gave her cheek a soft kiss before saying yet again, "We'll just have to see now, wont we?" On the outside Taisho was very calm, but inside he was in a painful turmoil. He knew very well this may be the last time he held his mate, the last time he stood in this room, the last time…

In the morning he was going to do battle against a bothersome dragon in his lands, a battle that would prove not only physically tiring, but emotionally painful as well. Thoughts of dragons always tugged his heart back towards Sachiru, and that was something he never wished to speak of again. He knew from the moment he'd married her, that she would never live long after the brith of a daughter, but he'd loved her so...

Slowly releasing his present mate, he told her he was going to make sure Sesshoumaru and Kisara were asleep before turning in for the night, though he urged Izayoi to get into bed after he left, wanting her to get as much rest as she could. After a kiss she happily complied, climbing into bed with ease after having dealt with the extra weight for months already. Her steady heartbeat told the taiyoukai she was asleep before he left the room.

Kisara froze as she heard footsteps coming closer to her room, instantly shoving her book under her pillow, forgetting, of course, the candle by which she was reading was still lit anf flickered angrily with her movement. Taisho had known Kisara was awake before opening the door, her heartbeat loud enough to play the drum in a band. He wasn't angry however, how could he be? This may very well be the last time he ever saw his daughter.

Shoving the depressing thoughts away, he smiled as he entered the room, moving across the floor to sit at the edge of her bed. "You can stop pretending now, Kisara." He said jokingly, watching as she pretended to shuffle in her sleep, trying fruitlessly to prove to him that she was in fact, asleep. Rolling his golden eyes, Taisho pointed out smartly, "You forgot the candle." Knowing she was beat, Kisara sat up, guilt written clearly across her porceline face, her bright blue eyes dancing with the light from the candle. It amazed him how much she already resembled her mother.

Taisho extended his hand to receive the book he knew she was hiding. Kisara was only five, and therefore didn't know how to read well, especially the old text in the book, though she loved pretending, and often snuck large books from the library into her room to read to the dolls Izayoi had made for her. Sighing, she grumpily grabbed the large leather-bound book and gave it to him, the weight not affecting him at all, though Kisara had nearly dropped it handing it over to him. It was a book on the History of the Taisho household, one of the largest, oldest books he owned.

"Kisara, you should know better then to stay up this late." He chided, setting the book beside him.

Her large blue eyes moved to stare at the warm blanket she was currently twisting between her fingers. "I know, daddy, I'm sorry. I wont do it again. Promise." She apologized. Taisho, noticing how the words were nearly identical to the last time he'd caught her, simply ruffled her silver hair about, earning a giggle from Kisara. "Just try and get some sleep, ok?" He asked her in a mock begging, once more getting a giggle as she snuggled back under the blanket. "Yes, Daddy." She said, smiling.

He returned the expression before giving her a light kiss on the forehead and blowing out the candle. Kisara wasn't afraid of the dark, she knew nothing bad would ever happen to her as long as he was there to protect her. With a sigh Kisara let sleep overtake her, and Taisho left the room, closing the door as quietly as possible before moving over to Sesshoumaru's room, brushing what may have been a stray tear out of his eye.

All was dark as he opened the door, and the steady breathing and even heartbeat of the young prince let Taisho know that his son was fast asleep. Quietly, he practically glided across the polished surface of the wood to stand next to the bed. His ten year old son didn't sense his presence, still too young, as most demons would, thus waking immediately whilst Sesshoumaru slept on. Taisho let a hand rest on his son's shoulder, knowing that if he did indeed die during this battle, Sesshoumaru would become the official heir, having many more lessons bestowed upon him, harsher training, stricter rules. He had no doubt in his mind Sesshoumaru would make a perfect lord with some time, and was happy to know he would always be able to protect his younger siblings.

No words would have been sufficient for that goodbye, so instead the Lord simply left the room, giving one last glance to his son before closing the door softly and retreating to his own quarters.

By the time both children woke in the morning, Taisho was gone, never to return alive.

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**Chapter Two End**

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AN – Yeah I kind of clichéd this chapter, but it was a chapter I had to post. Sorry as well if I rushed through the end. Next chapter will be a bit more exciting, seeing as how we skip ahead to 13 years later.


	3. The Well

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**Chapter Three  
The Well**

**---**

Sesshoumaru sat in silence during breakfast the next morning, casting an icy glare to Izayoi whenever possible. Unfortunately for him, she was busy talking to Kisara, while at the same time actually getting the child to eat. Kisara never ate much, preferring to play or talk, so this was a bit unusual. Sesshoumaru grit his teeth, she was already changing things around here! He was only ten years old, but Sesshoumaru was extremely intelligent.

"I'm finished." He stated, standing and walking words the shoji doors. One of the guards standing by the doors followed him, making sure that the young heir wouldn't get into any trouble while their master was away.

Izayoi stared at the empty seat, the meal untouched. She had a sinking suspicion that Sesshoumaru would never except her here. "Lady Izayoi?" Kisara questioned, looking up at her from the pillow so close to hers. This brought the smile back to the human's face, in any case, at least Kisara would love her. She suddenly noticed the child had her hands on her wide stomach, a smile playing out over her innocent features. "Is there really a baby in there?" She questioned.

Izayoi placed a hand on Kisara's head before answering with a warm smile, "Yes, that's going to be your little half-brother or sister in a few weeks." Kisara scrunched up her nose in confusion, "Half?" A little flicker of pain raced through Izayoi's heart as she replied, "That means that you will only be related by your father, that you have different mothers." Kisara nodded, "I see." Removing her hands from Izayoi's belly Kisara asked quietly, "When's daddy gonna be coming home?"

The raven haired woman resisted the urge to embrace the child, responding in an equally soft tone, "Don't worry…I'm sure he'll be back soon." "That's good." A small smile returned to Kisara's face as she stood up, the meal now complete, "Can we go to the Gardens Lady Izayoi?" Kisara asked, for the moment ignoring the fact her brother was most likely in his rooms seething.

**--**

Sesshoumaru sat near the window in his chambers, his guard outside the entrance doors, the sharp ears of the eagle youkai making sure he was all right, not attempting anything that would not be permitted otherwise. His window faced the more wooded side of the Western Provinces, a long forest stretching out to grace the bottom of the majestic forms of the violet mountains in the distance. There was the lightest trace of salt on the air, a sign that the sea was only a mile or two away, for the most part, everything smelled relatively the same, like trees.

His golden eyes were still narrowed, though he seemed to be relaxing somewhat. Sesshoumaru didn't know why he disliked this woman so, perhaps it was the fact that she was supposedly intended to replace his mother, or the fact that Kisara would rather spend time with her, or maybe, it was because she was so nice to them. Any other youaki Lady would have immediately disowned the children, they were not hers, and that was the way of youkai…but Izayoi treated them like her own flesh and blood…The golden orbs slid shut. It was all too much for him to think about right now, he had other worries approaching. "My lord, it's time for your exercises." Came the sharp voice of the eagle youkai at attention behind the door. Every dog had to be walked, and he was no exception. His lessons were tedious, unbearable, and even painful. He was first given a book to read and write a report on in less then an hour, then an entire hour devoted to fighting skills, then back to books. It went on all day, him only receiving a lunch break to spend time with anybody.

It was a terrible thing to do to the pup, but standard training for taiyoukai heirs.

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**3 ½ weeks later**

"You can enter now you two." The female cat youkai said, her voice soft with emotion. Their lord had still not returned, and although all the palace employees were worried, the birth of the Second Taisho son had distracted them for a moment.

Kisara ran through the doors, her eyes still a bit red from the crying she'd done, scared that Izayoi was dying in there. Sesshoumaru had known better, and comforted Kisara s best he could, though only proof would dispel her doubts. Inside the room it was hot and sticky, a bit like the hot springs, she noticed. Reaching the side of the bed, She fought the urge to climb up with Izayoi as she saw the bundle the woman held.

Sesshoumaru stood by the door, only the tiniest bit curious to face his new sibling for the first time. Kisara on the other hand, had once more given in to her instincts, and was perched by Izayoi's elbow on the large bed, her bright blue eyes sparkling with wonder as she gazed down at the newborn pup. His face was a bit red, but his blindblueeyes were already halfway open. They wouldn't open fully until later tomorrow, however. Though he was just born, there was already a distinct patch of white hair atop his head. What Kisara loved most about him were the two furry ears still clamped to his head, not yet ready to take in the noise of the world.

She looked at Izayoi, who was also gazing down at the pup. "Are his eyes going to stay blue?" she'd remembered Izayoi explaining to her a few things about pups, mostly how they needed a lot of sleep, so she'd have to be extra quiet, but also that their eyes changed colors. Izayoi looked over to the child with a smile, "No, I'm afraid not. In a few weeks they'll most likely turn yellow." "Oh." Was all Kisara had to say.

She suddenly realized her brother was not here to see this, and in a heartbeat has scurried of the bed to grab him by the hand, pulling him over, whispering, "'C'mon, you've got to see him! He's so cute!" Taking up her spot once more as she ran back into the room, Kisara's gaze shifted from Sesshoumaru back to the newborn pup, trying to see both at once.

The young prince gazed upon the youth with what he hoped was indifference, however, he still had a lot of practice before his infamous stoic look was to be achived, and a warm light glowed in his eyes. For possibly the only time that would ever be, Sesshoumaru didn't care if the child was hanyou or not, he was his little brother, and that was all that mattered. He reached out a clawed hand and touched the newborn's nose, a small grin appearing as the baby crossed his eyes, trying to see what had touched him.

"What's his name?" Kisara whispered.

Izayoi thought a moment, finally recalling Taisho's final choice for males. "InuYasha…"

--

**13 years later.**

"Shut up InuYasha!" Sesshoumaru growled, leveling a gaze with his half brother. The teenager retorted with a cocky glare and a smirk, "Why dontcha make me?" He taunted. Ever since InuYasha passed puberty there had been nothing but arguments between them. For some reason or another, InuYasha couldn't leave Sesshoumaru alone, butting in whenever possible.

The young Lord had only recently in herniated their father's lands, and had his hands full constantly trying to run them. The demons that had been kept away by Taisho did not feel threatened by Sesshoumaru, and had been invading the Provinces for the passed month. Izayoi had passed away a few days after the news of Taisho's death, over 5 years ago. The only reason the lands had not fallen to another lord in the time it took Sesshoumaru to reach the end of his lessons was the fact both son's had received the swords sent in by Totosai, their presence so similar to Taisho's, that it had kept the demons at bay.

Kisara had been in a bad way for weeks after the boy's received their swords, irked that their father had left nothing for her. Little did she know he had, though it wouldn't become apparent for awhile. Also since that day InuYasha and Sesshoumaru had become rivals, Sesshoumaru obviously peeved that he, the new lord, has received (to him) the less powerful of the two fangs.

"No, stop fighting; solve your problems by talking." Kisara said, her voice as deadpan as ever, rattling off the same line every time they'd fought for the pass five years, she knew better by now that her words were ignored, and didn't even bother to look up as the table behind her was shattered.

They were currently located in one of the larger studies, each their for a different purpose. Sesshoumaru was trying to learn how to build a stronger barrier to ward of the intruders, Kisara to read for entertainment, and InuYasha to find entertainment in Annoying his sibling.

As a bookshelf fell to the ground, Kisara packed up, knowing that she would not be enjoying reading here any longer. She left the room quietly, ignoring the plight InuYasha had put himself in, now trapped under the bookcase, Sesshoumaru Holding it down over him with little effort, a cocky smirk now plastered on his face instead. The thirteen year old was no match for him.

--

The silver haired girl walked down the hallways of her home, the endless maze no trouble for her to navigate through. Behind her was her guard, the memory troubled Rakuda youkai, Teru. Teru was new to the castle, having stumbled upon the place after being separated from her family over 50 years ago. She'd been assigned at first to tend to the stables, where her aunt resided,then had moved to guarding doors, and had over the years made it to guarding the royal family, a real honor, for one such as herself.

Teru had her quirks, however, that made keeping her position hard. For one she was loud and obnoxious, bad tempered and foul-mouthed, as most camel demons. For another she had an attention and memory problem, forgetting things quickly unless she ground them deep into her brain for storage, however, storage was cleaned out if not used quickly.

She towered over Kisara at a staggering 6'7, and had rather large muscles for a female. Her skin was copper in color, extremely different from the light skinned demons that lived around here. Her hair was a short sandy brown, a large chunk of which hung over one deep brown eye, the other exposed. Under the naked eye there was a strange marking of yellow, a sun with only two rays at top and bottom. This marking was repeated on her knees, stomach, back, and elbows. Unlike most of the castle guards who were dressed in long white kimonos with varied colored hems, she wore a short skimpy forest green kimono with a light green hem and obi. Around her ankles she wore two gold anklets, and from her backside she had a lion-like tail.

She was certainlya sight to behold.

Teru was confused, not knowing why the lady was headed this way, "Excuse me, M'lady, but If I may inquire as to where we're headed?" Kisara turned around to face the tall camel, her silver and blue kimono swirling with her matching hair. "For the last time Teru! We are going to the GARDENS!" The camel blinked. She'd asked before? Oh well, at least she knew now. She'd remember this time.

By the time their destination had been reached, Kisara appeared to have run a marathon with no sleep, no water and ten extra pounds. The hand holding her books was nearly dragging on the polished floorboards as she slouched across the porch, down the steps and into the beautiful gardens she loved so dearly. The camel youkai followed her, her liquid brown eye betraying her emotions, which by orders were to remain indifferent to everything, as was the Taisho standard.

The two made their way over to the bridge that was suspended over a glittering koi pond. Flowers were in bloom, and the scents filled the senses of both, effectively releasing the tension, and bringing Kisara back into her near-blissful state as she found a comfortable spot on the bridge to finish reading her book. Teru stood off the bridge, looking down at the large fish, poking them lightly with the butt of herspear whenever they ventured close to her. The temperature was a cool 65 degrees, the breeze a bit cooler, signs of fall not too far off. The sky was cloud-free, and nearby the birds warbled a calm song, in this part of the Taisho household, all was at peace, on the other end however…

"Lord InuYasha, please try and control your temper!" A figure next to the red-cloaked hanyou said, his voice clearly laced with exasperation. A dainty sparrow youkai with short black hair and blue eyes was fixing up a broken finger InuYasha had received in his scuffle with Sesshoumaru. "Hey!" InuYasha said defensively, "He had it coming!" Resisting the urge to slam his fist against his forehead, the crocodile youkai who was stationed there as wellsaid in what he hoped was a calm tone, "Lord Sesshoumaru is trying to run the Lands, the less interferences he has, the better it is for everybody, you should know this expecially well, Lord InuYasha."

InuYasha stood from his place on the floor after the sparrow youkai finished her task and had risen. His golden gaze fixed upon the greener gold gaze of his guard, "Are you trying to tell me what to do, Kurashi? The forest headed guard instantly lowered his gaze, "No my lord, I simp-." InuYasha interrupted, "Good." Turning to the sparrow he said in a softer tone, "You can go, Atchi."

The female sparrow dipped her raven head before exiting InuYasha's chambers. "Listen, Kurashi, I think I know what's best for me, ok? So do me a favor and stay outta my life! Now leave!" The crocodile exited quickly, not the least bit intimidated by InuYasha's display of anger. Teenage pups were known to act rashly, such as his late-master had done. If only he could see his sons now...Kurashi took up his place by the door, waiting patiently for an order, chuckling softly to himself.

The new taiyoukai sat behind his desk, one striped hand running through his long silver hair in stress. This was a lot more difficult then he'd first imagined. Servants were putting the destroyed study back together, so that wasn't what was worrying him, It was the fact that he had come up with nothing to stop the invading youkai, other then to send out some of his troops and force them back.This method didn't have much effect, and he was loosing menat a steady decline. If this was allowed to continue, his army would have dwindled down to a meretwo-thousand men.

His golden eyes narrowed as a last resort option surfaced in his troubgled mind,however, if he did this, It may cause a disturbance that could end up costing him twice many soldiers as he was loosing nowif he ruffled the bonds between the other lands and his own any further. He wasn't going to be sleeping tonight either. Damn thoseSouthernbastards, letting their youkai run around like wild boars...The eagle youkai standing outsideshifted unconfortably, the youki that was leaking from the room was almost over-powering in its exsess. The guard standing beside him on the opposite end of the doors was even more worked up, less used to it then he.

Their new lord still had a lot of steeling to do when it came to emotions…

--

Kisara looked up from her book a few hours later, surprised at how dark it was getting. "Teru-chan!" She called, "Come on, we should be heading back." The guard, who'd been leaning against the pole that supported the bridge, stood and stretched. Kisara nearly face-planted. Her guard had been asleep...Kisara found it a miricale she'd lived to be this old.While fuming, Kisara noticed how this lack of alertness didn't bother her as much as she thought it would, probably for the fact Kisara knew that no matter how dead-to-the world the camel youkai appeared, her instincts ruled her mind, probably more so then a normal youkai, and camels had a way with fighting...

Suddenly, like a second heartbeat she felt it, pulsing in her chest. Her blue eyes went wide. "D-Did you feel that?" She whispered, the pulse still thrumming. "Feel what?" Teru questioned, her voice the same tone as before, though it seemed deafening to Kisara as she clamped her hands over her ears.

From the pulse Kisara was also aware of a tug, leading her to the other side of the bridge, which led out of the Gardens, close to the castle walls. Ignoring the worried questionings from Teru at her charge's awkward behavior, Kisara moved across the bridge, following the pull, knowing it was something she had to do. Finally she came to the castle wall, a now extremely worried about her sanity,Teru trailing close behind. Kisara's dainty brow furrowed. How was she going to get passed this?

Following her instincts still, Kisara lifted a hand to trace the smooth feel of the wall, amazed when it vanished. Her senses were on edge, the magical barrier that cloaked the castle still active, no demons could pas through, however, Kisara had no trouble. She was no demon. Teru was trapped within the castle, frantic as she was left helpless,and had hurried off to tell someone of Kisara's leaving.

The woman in questioned kept moving, the forest around her a dark blur, though she moved slowly. It was nearly a day of walking before the pull increased sufficiently to let her know she'd found its source. She'd carefully avoided any and all soldiers sent from the castle, not wanteing them to interupt her search. The demons of the foresthad avoided her due to the fact she contained neither human nor demon energies, but dragon, something no demon ever wanted to face. Her bright blue eyes gazed first at a large, towering tree, then at the well she stood before. 'This is it…' she thought, 'the source of the pull.' Not thinking twice, she slid over the edge, letting herself fall into the darkness.

--

(( A/N: I know, a cruddy ending, but still. So how do you guys like it so far? I know I kind hurried this chapter along, but I made sure to include all of the living characters that have come into play so far, and even introduced a few of the castle regulars. In the next chapter, Kisara gets her first taste of Egypt.))


	4. Fire

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**Chapter Four  
Fire!**

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It was a few hours before Kisara came to, her head felt like it was made of lead, her senses practically dead, not hearing, seeing, smelling or feeling anything except the numbing pain echoing throughout her skull. A scream brought her completely around, her mind ablaze as all her sensed reared to life; there was a fire nearby…

---

Sesshoumaru's gaze was completely frozen, matching the stoic expression he held so perfectly on his face. Teru had just come barging into his study, ignoring all protests from the guards. The terrible scent of tears was heavy with her, and his heart instantly dropped to his stomach. The camel youkai was a mess, her tanned frame shaking with the powerful sobs. The eagle youkai had calmly placed her in the chair by the book shelf, wanting her to calm down.

"What happened." His voice was laced with a deadly cold, not a question, an order for her to speak, and now. Not daring to raise her eyes in the presence of her lord, the camel managed to whisper, "The wall…it just…vanished." Sesshoumaru's delicate silver brow raised in question. He moved to stand next to the chair, lifting her chin so that her eyes met his own, making a connection so there was no way she could not answer him. "Elaborate."

Teru took a long shaky sigh, the eye not covered by sandy brown locks still welled with tears. Teru felt that she'd failed, letting her charge walk out of her grasp without the slightest fight, letting her wander into possible harm. Teru had watched over Kisara since she was a child, so all of this was really hard on her. She sniffled, whispering again, "She, she was acting strangely…" She was interrupted by Sesshoumaru, "How so?" She brushed his hand away to wipe her other eye free of tears. "Let me finish, please." She said, her voice stabilizing.

She placed both of her clawed hands over her knees, her lion-like tail wrapping around her waist as she continued, telling her lord and his personal guard about how Kisara had melted the wall, then passed through the barrier with no resistance whatsoever, but when Teru had begun to follow, she'd been repelled with a nasty burn. Her hands had already started healing, thank you, youkai powers, but raw flesh was still widely exposed on both palms. Sesshoumaru had moved back over by his desk, his eyes narrowed, brow furrowed, the room silent as the two awaited a response from their lord.

"Where did this all take place?"

"Across the bridge and through the gardens, Milord." She replied, a bit curious.

Sesshoumaru was silent for a brief moment before turning to his personal guard, "Kurashi, see to it Teru has her wounds tended to immediately." With those words the lord walked out of the room, closing the door with a snap.

---

Kisara was confused and frightened. She had figured out by now she must have fallen down a hole of some sort. She was uninjured save for a cut above her left eye and a few bumps and bruises, but she needed a way out. "Can anybody hear me?" She cried, "I need help!" There was no answer from above, only the rolling clouds of smoke and a few licks of fire.

One could say she was lucky; she was up to her shins in freezing water, having stood after the scream. Was somebody hurt? Kisara needed to find a way out of this well! Her slender hands felt along the walls of the dark shaft, looking for something she could use to pull herself upwards.

'Is that really such a good idea?' she thought to herself, pausing in her actions, 'There's obviously a fire up there, and for all I know I could be right at the heart, burning to death as soon as I poke my head out." She shivered at the thought, shaking her mane of silver hair about in her attempts to dispel the images. "No…it's safer down here, in the cold dark, away from the fire.' Her mind tried to reason with her.

Pressing her back to the rough stone wall Kisara slowly let her body sink lower into the water, wrapping her arms around her knees, her head propped up in the corner of the well. How long was it going to be before someone found her? Before this fire ended?

These were chilling thoughts, but the thought that struck her through to her soul and she voiced it. "Who am I?" When no clear answer could be obtained, it was difficult to fight the tears.

---

Sesshoumaru stood next to the gaping hole in the wall surrounding his fortress, his face holding no outward emotion, giving no le-way as to what feelings may be swimming around his heart. He didn't know how Kisara made the wall vanish, or how she passed through the barrier. Being this close was already making his hair stand on end, and yet…

A breeze wafted in from the north, brining the unmistakable scent of an early fall. Fighting a sigh, Sesshoumaru turned to head back into the castle, If Kisara wanted to leave, it was her choice, he wasn't there to stop her anymore.

"So that's it, eh?" An all too familiar voice grunted at him from just around the corner on the porch.

"InuYasha, it was her choice."

The hanyou stepped out into clear view, surprising the taiyoukai with his attire a bit. Instead of his tell-tale red kimono, he was dressed in the royal clothing bought for him, though not used. A blue Kimono much like Sesshoumaru's own, Silver spirals interlaced with lilies, a white obi. He even had his long white hair pulled back into a low tie.

"Still," He said darkly, his arms crossed, golden eyes narrowed slightly. "What if it wasn't her choice?"

"Who else's could it be, InuYasha, honestly; perhaps you should reconsider abandoning your lessons so frequently."

InuYasha grunted again, his eyes wandering to the hole, saying what Sesshoumaru had tried his hardest to ignore, "So...I guess the door didn't suit her fancy then?"

Sesshoumaru didn't reply, opening the shoji doors, decorated elegantly with a near mirror image of the gardens painted upon them and stepping through, leaving InuYasha outside to resume whatever it was he was doing previously.

---

Kisara sat silently in the freezing well, listening to the fire rage above her, she already had a large wound on her arm from a piece of flaming wood that had hit her on it's way into the water. The screams had stopped, She hoped whoever was behind them was alright…though it was obviously doubtful. She sniffled, wiping her eyes with her good hand, the other cradled in her lap. Kisara had no idea who she was…oh, she knew her name, and only her first at that…but that was it.

Furious with herself, Kisara rubbed her eyes free of the prickling tears just threatening to fall. She had better breeding then to just give up and cry! Or...at least...she thought she did...

Reason doused her pride-filled fire with an icy chill. What else was there for her to possibly do but wait until the flames receded? With a sigh she slid further into the water, letting her feet warm up a bit against the wall of the well, which was still cold, mind you, but warmer than the water. Damnit she was weak…not even brave enough to face fire…damn…Kisara knocked her head back against the stone a few times. A bit too hard. "Ouch!" She yelped, her cry echoing up through the well.

A strangled cry had to her feet in an instant, "Hello! Can anyone hear me?" It was a deep, rough voice, sounding quite familiar, actually…hmm, oh well.

"Down here!" Kisara yelled, splashing the water for emphasis, her gaze fixated upon the top of the well. She was surprised to see a white head poke over the edge, unusually spiky, it was too far away to see anything else.

"Hang on!" He yelled, "I'll get you out..."

The white spiky head disappeared for a few moments, and Kisara hoped he hadn't caught fire…

"Here, grab a hold of this!" The voice called out again, and soon enough a rope with a few knots tied into it fell down, bopping her on her already-bruised head, though it went relatively unnoticed save for a grunt. Now for the first time she realized how cold her hands were, trembling as she fumbled for a decent grip on the rope, promptly ignoring the searing pain that shot threw her injured arm. "I-I got it!" She called out, her grip as firm as it was ever going to be.

"OK, now on the count of three I want you to brace your back against the wall, and walk up the other side like you normally would, but be sure to hang on to the rope!" His calm voice brought much needed reassurance to the young woman, and with a renewed determination she followed his instructions, however silly they seemed to her.

"OK!"

"Right, one, two…three! Now!" He called.

The rough wall scraped at her back, though she couldn't really feel it with her feet…that wasn't good. Halfway up the wall her grip faltered on her injured left, causing her to slide a few inches before hitting a knot, thank Kami!

The man above had felt the jerk, but also knew by the weight she'd managed to hang on. "Hang in there!" He called down to her, straining his back as he slowly walked across the floor, away from the well, the rope first winding around what seemed the only stable pole in the burning building. He secretly hoped his voice didn't betray his worry. There was ceasing to be any roof left above them, and their exits were diminishing before his eyes.

Back down in the well, Kisara was beginning to feel the heat, even on her freezing skin. She shivered, her muscles convulsing automatically, shifting into bumpy gooseflesh at the welcome tingle of warmth. Damn this well was deep! Not daring to look down, but judging by the sticky feel under her kimono back, she could guess she'd scooted a long ways up the terribly rough surface, breaking the skin on her back, and most likely her feet as well, though she still couldn't feel it, save for a dull ache.

Nearly half an hour later, most of the building was gone, Kisara was now extremely uncomfortable in her thick kimono, her back nearly ripped to pieces, her hands red and rough, the rim of the well was nearly within her grasp. "I-I'm almost to the rim!" She choked, surprised by how hoarse her voice had become, the scent of smoke almost unbearable. She wondered how the hell the man was pulling through this.

The chocolate-eyed man wasn't looking too good either, but with the living conditions he was often presented with, he was pretty prepared for anything. A large beam of flaming wood had knocked against his shin, hurting him badly, though he still managed to move. His hands were far worse then Kisara's and he felt as though his body had been sucked dry of all fluids, the skin turning a terrible red-brown in color. Gods, he was nearly being cooked alive! He hoped this was all worth it…

Slamming her ripped back against the wall with gritted teeth and grit, pressing her now-almost full feeling feet against both sides of the well, she managed to get one blistered hand to the uncomfortably hot side of the well, bearing through the pain she was currently enduring.

The man caught sight of her hand, having been watching the well rim for some time now. "OK," He choked out the deadly smog penetrating the piece of cloth he had over his mouth and nose, "I'm going to let go of the rope, I need you to hang on the side of the well, ok?"

Startled, but wiling to do whatever it took to get out of the well, she gasped out a strangled reply that mingled somewhere between shock and agreement.

"One, Two, Three!"

The rope went limp, and Kisara's other hand flew up to grip the side of the well. The unexpected weight was most unwelcome for her painful hands, and her legs were trembling, struggling to hold her up against the well. Luckily she didn't have to wait very long, as the snowy, now ashen head appeared, worried brown eyes meeting her pained blue. "Don't worry, I gotcha." He said, grabbing her wrists with his own blistered hands. He was surprised at the girl's strange, yet foreign beautiful appearance, now able to see her clearly, though he pushed it aside for the moment, his brain already pounding from mental stress and smoke inhalation.

With a combined effort of two exhausted beings, slowly Kisara emerged from the well, her lower half dripping wet and freezing, and her top half uncomfortably hot and itchy. With a final tug and push, she tumbled out of the dark hole.

As soon as the woman was fully out, the white-haired man gave her no time to reflect on anything, taking one arm and slinging it over his shoulders, helping to support her as she staggered to his feet, looking upon him with grateful, yet completely tuckered-out sapphire eyes.

He, himself was tired beyond belief, this ordeal one of the most draining things he'd been through. And again he pondered if it was worth it. His own knees buckled, but he didn't fall. Kisara had taken his arm as well, throwing it over her shoulders with slight impatience. "You're not going to just quit on me know…are you?" She asked, determined once more.

"Don't count on it." He replied, one of his infamous grins lining his face for a split second before it was wiped clean by a sudden inferno of debris falling from above, sealing one of their last possible exists.

"Shit." He said quietly, now both supporting and being supported. Franticly both eyes scanned the hellish surroundings, desperately searching for escape. "There has to be a way…" Kisara panted, her eyes half-lidded, the smoke affecting her a great deal more then the man. She was (unfortunately) completely dry and as hot as she'd ever been. Never had she encountered such heat. The man, being for the unforgiving desert, was used to extreme temperatures, though even this was asking a bit much from him. "Hey!" He croaked-yelped, "Don't you dare pass out, or we're both dead!" More debris clattered from above, and just barely missed them, though the embers licked at their bodies.

Kisara nodded, her brain only functioning out of sheer will power.

The man's deep chocolate gaze, alight with the reflection of the dancing fire, continued to look about, though Kisara was now staring only at him. 'He has very pretty eyes…' her head mumbled, still half-clouded. A gap of dark between the flaming wood caught his eye. "Hang on; we're getting out of here."

She nodded, still supporting some of his weight. Together the limped and staggered towards their only exit, moving like a drunk elephant, though moving non-the less. Another chunk of burning debris fell before them, a larger mass behind. "On the count of three…" Kisara whispered roughly. The man nodded, his own eyes now hooded, "One...two...three..."

Together they used the last bits of strength to push through the burning wood, and hit the freezing night air like a brick wall. There were no spectators; they had all left hours before, dismissing any possible survivors as dead. Moving slowly, limbs shaking feverishly they both hobbled a safe distance away before collapsing onto the cold, beautiful sand.

Kisara's eyes slid shut, not even giving her savior a parting glance as she slipped into the most welcome darkness...

**--- **


	5. Pains and Gripes

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**Chapter Five  
Pains and Gripes**

**--**

"See, I told you this whole report was a waste of our time."

Mahado looked upon the high priest with a playful scowl, "Now, now Seth, have you forgotten? The people do come first."

Seth snorted and spurred his horse into a gallop until he was in front of Mahado by a good ten yards, his way of saying that he no longer wished to speak. The sorcerer chuckled good-heartedly and shrugged, remaining at his original pace.

There had been a fire in one of the small branching villages just off the Pharaoh's city, basically in the outskirts of town. The fire had taken out the village's largest barn, and a nearby shed. Unfourtunatly, it had also claimed the lives of a few people, not to mention some chickens.

The sad thing was, one of those people was trying to be a hero, trying to save one of the stable workers, or so he had heard, that had been trapped inside the burning building.

"Mahado, if you don't speed up you might as well be riding backwards."

---

Meanwhile, in the little village, people gathered around the stinking pile of what used to be their barn, waiting for it to cool down enough for the bodies to be recovered. Nobody seemed to notice the blood spots in the sand, or the two pairs of footprints that led away from the village.

By now Kisara and her white-haired savior were half-walking across the desert, Kisara's back severely tender and sore, Her arm throbbing, the white haired man's legs shuddering slightly beneath him. By the expressions on their faces, it was clear who was better suited for life in the desert.

Kisara's face was already dyed red from the heat, her clothes already damp with perspiration. On the other hand, the stranger was barely breaking a sweat, though his face was pulled awfully tight…

"H-hey…Wh-"

"Don't speak, concentrate on walking. If we're lucky, we'll avoid any travelers."

Kisara shut up, mostly for the fact that she was really confused. Wouldn't they want to meet people? People who could help? For that matter, why hadn't they stayed at the village? She cast her gaze to the man who had saved her, who the hell was he, anyway?

The man in question, had a plan unfolding in his head, he only needed to reach his band…

---

"…Do you think they've found the bodies yet, Seth?"

Seth turned his head in mid-profile to glance briefly at Mahado before looking forward again and saying, his voice clipped, "How would I know, we only just got here." A pause and then,"Though if I had to guess, no."

Mahado looked curiously at his upper-classmen through the ears of his horse, "What makes you say that?" He drew his horse to stand beside Seth's, a few yards away from the smoking remains of the barn and shed. The horses shook their heads nervously. "That." Seth pointed to the almost-unnoticed blood spots on the sand, where Kisara and her savior had lain.

---

"Are we almost there yet?" Kisara complained, she was tired, not used to such physical exertion in such a short period of time.

"Would you quit whining, girl? I thought I told you not to speak." His voice was becoming steadily growly.

Kisara groaned and tried not to slouch forward, or else stretch her wounded back flesh. She looked down at her arm wound. It looked horrible, yellow crust at the center of the wound, and a dark purple/red/brown towards the outside. She wondered if perhaps it had gotten infected. She didn't know, she'd never had an infection before. Such things were always treated immediately at the castle.

Wait, what castle? She stopped walking, her mind searching desperately for this little fragment of familiar information, now lost. She looked around her wildly, like a frightened rabbit, ready to spring away at any moment.

Come to think of it, this entire landscape was unfamiliar to her! The rolling sand, the dunes in the distance, dried plants and sharp rocks; even this heat was unknown to her, not a cloud to be found. Where the hell was she?

He looked back at her as soon as she stopped, afraid for a moment she'd fainted; he wouldn't be able to carry her. But no, she was simply staring off into space as it were. He narrowed his eyes at her, obviously irratated, "What are you doing? We have to hurry if you don't want to freeze tonight."

Kisara shook her head, still half-heartedly searching her mind for the information she'd gained and lost, the teaser-thought. She didn't even pause to wonder how this hell hole could manage temperatures below 500 degrees. "I'm coming, I just needed to catch my breath." It wasn't a complete lie, she was tuckered out.

---

Mahado's eyebrows rose and he dismounted to get a closer look at the spots. His fingers brushed over the tarnished sand. As he pulled his hand away he stared at the pads of his fingers intently. "What is it?" Seth questioned, dismounting as well and moving over to stand next to the sorcerer. Mahado's eyes met Seth's as he showed the priest the red smears where he'd touched the sand. "It's fresh. Can't be more then a few hours old, the sun has not yet had time to dry it."

It was Seth's turn to raise his eyebrows, though to a lesser degree then Mahado. "Then they could still be alive." Mahado nodded grimly, "Yes, but not for long, look to where the footsteps lead."

The movements in the sand were a bit hard to follow, after all, villagers had stepped on some of them, the wind softening their clarity even further, but the general path was out into the open desert, the most dangerous place to be, especially with an open wound. Bugs, sand, coyotes and even bandits lurked out there; all could be very well fatal.

Both of the men looked a bit confused, Seth more so angry. "Why would they leave the village if they were injured?" Mahado questioned. To this Seth had no reply. "We should report back to Atemu, He'll want to hear about this."

"But Seth," Mahado protested, "Shouldn't we stay around here to see if any bodies are recovered? Or if any lingering ka are around?"

Seth shook his head and walked back over to his horse, mounting quickly and waiting for Mahado to follow, "I have a strange feeling about this, I'm going back, though you're free to stay here if it bothers you so much." And without waiting for Mahado's reply he spurred his horse and took off.

Mahado sighed and rubbed his fingers together, letting the drying blood flake off. He too, had a strange feeling, but unlike Seth, he was compelled to stay here. A man ran up to him, his head bowed as he spoke, "We've found some remains, sir." And right after Seto left, too, how convienient...

Mahado looked down at him, "Is that so? Well, lead me to them." The man walked slowly to where a few other men were gathered, and one woman was silently weeping. "We believe the remains to belong to the young stable girl, she never did make it out…"

Mahado listened carefully. "And how many fatalities were there, besides the girl?" The man cautiously looked up at the sorcerer, "Just one other, a young man with strange white hair, he ran in there when the girl didn't come back out after she saved the horses. He didn't come out either."

Mahado stiffened, for he knew of only one man with white hair, but he had to be sure, "This man, did he have any old wounds? On his face perhaps?" The man put a finger to his chin in thought, "Now that you mention it, I do think I recall an old wound, scar more like it, under his right eye if I remember correctly."

"I see." Was all Mahado had to say, his teeth gritted together as he looked down at the few bones that had been found. If Akifa truly was dead, at long last, this was what Atemu should hear. He looked off in the direction Seth had left, if only he'd waited to hear this.

But something else was puzzling him. If there were only two supposed victims of this fire, one body already discovered, and if Akifa truly was dead, then who's blood was that? Who had gotten away?

There was an easy way to find out. Mahado nodded to the man, and walked back over to the blood spots. He kneeled down and muttered something under his breath, once more running his fingers over the sand, then, carefully drew a circle around the area, he said one more something, and gave a quick hard blow on the sand, scattering it into clouds.

He watched carefully as shapes appeared, one was the form of his own ka, The Magician of Illusion, next was the infamous Diabound. 'Well', He thought, 'that answers that question. Akifa is alive after all.' The news was disconcerting.

He was about to go, his dark eyes narrowing, but before he did, he noticed a third shape take form. He took a double take in astonishment. Atemu was sure going to have a lot of reports today…

---

"Please, sir, can we stop now?"

Akifa looked back at Kisara, his patience with her thinning dangerously. He wasn't even quite sure anymore why he'd brought her with him, she was nothing but a hindrance, and a pain, and yet…

"Sure, why not? You've only been asking all day."

Her face lit up, "Can we really?"

"No."

"C'mon! We've been walking all day, sir, and I see lights, we must be close to a village."

The sun was setting, turning the once hazy blue sky into a rich purple.

"Actually, we are, and stop calling me sir."

"Then what am I supposed to call you?"

Akifa didn't say anything, it was best she not know his name. Instead, he said sarcastically, "Master, or Lord of Everything should be suitable, don't you think?"

Kisara leveled a flat look to his back, "Ha, ha, sir."

They had reached the village, and they kept walking.

"Sir, why don't we go into the village? They have doctors, don't they? It's foolish to wander about in the desert, we'll die for sure."

Akifa ignored her, somehow knowing she'd follow him. He couldn't risk going into a village with these wounds, he wouldn't be able to escape if they knew who he was, and he was sure everybody had by now, it had been nearly a month since he burned that village…

Kisara looked down at her arm again. She'd tried to bandage it with a piece of her dirty kimono, choosing a place that wasn't covered in sand or blood. Her kimono was hardly such anymore, it had to be torn and tied in various places to cover her back from the sun, and still be decent.

Her back ached, and felt uncomfortable and sticky, her arm the same way. She glanced up at Akifa, who was strangely stiff and walking awkwardly. She looked at his legs. Because he was wearing shorts, she could see the bare back of his calves. She winced.

Big sections of skin on both calves had been badly burned, though she noticed his wounds were already healing. Her back felt as though it would never heal, though she supposed that's because it was healing. Only time could really tell…

---

Atemu listened to Seth carefully. "So, no bodies have been found yet, correct?"

"Correct." Answered Seth.

Atemu sighed, he had better things to worry about then one lost barn with no sure fatalities. And even if there were any such fatalities were common. His crimson eyes looked to either side of the throne room, "Where's Mahado?"

"He decided to stay at the site, your majesty." Seth hated using the upper-classmen terms, but his father, who was present in the room, would not be pleased to hear otherwise.

"Well, you'd best head back there and see if he's found anything new."

Seth suppressed his disappointment at having to ride all the way there, again. There had to be a faster way to get messages across…

---

Mahado, however, had left the site of the destruction, and was on his way back to the palace at that very moment, his horses' hooves flying over the sand. He had to get what he saw to the Pharaoh, and Seth as well, he supposed.

Unfortunately for Kisara, Mahado was headed in the opposite direction she and Akifa were, making encounter unlikely, and thus, she was stuck, having left the village behind, she had no where else to go, but wherever Akifa went.


	6. Changes

**---**

**Chapter Six  
Changes**

**---**

Seth propped his head up with his hand as he leaned over the neck of his horse, trying to make himself as comfortable as physically possible without falling off, quite a feat. He was out of sight of any villagers who may recognize him, and thus could afford to slouch without any negative effect on his reputation. His tall Royal Priest's hat was stuffed inside one of the saddlebags. It was hot enough without having his head trapped in a hellish hat-sauna.

His horse huffed over the rolling dunes, the heat and long distances apparently taking their toll on the poor creature. Seth, however, was not in a forgiving mood, and kept the horse moving, slowly, crawling, back to Mahado, little knowing Mahado was coming much faster in his direction than vise versa.

---

In the desert, Kisara was having an increasingly harder time keeping pace with Akifa. Akifa now had to yell in order to talk to her at all, though conversation was limited to basically:

"Hurry up, would you?"

"Stop rushing me, or I'll drop dead! How would you like that, you inconsiderate jerk!?"

"You must be getting worse; your comebacks certainly are."

Kisara was now ten-something yards behind Akifa, and moving slower then hell. Her back wasn't hurting so much as it was killing her from the outside in. She wanted to fall down on the sand and flop around like a fish out of water, but the little bit of sanity she still possessed restrained her.

"Hey, you, girl, we're here!" Akifa called back to her.

"Where exactly is 'here', anyway?"She mumbled. Kisara looked around, but only saw sand and more sand, a graveyard of a place….

---

Seth looked up as he saw a small could of dust headed his way. He sat up straight as the cloud produced a small, fast-moving dot. The dot steadily grew, until the white robes of the sorcerer were recognizable as Mahado. Seth was curious as to what Mahado was in such a hurry for, and called out to him.

"What's the hurry, Mahado?"

Mahado's horse skidded to a stop, breathing heavily, foam dripping from its mouth. Seth grimaced at the sight of it, "If you don't relax, your horse is going to die." He commented.

Mahado was also breathing hard, but due to lack of foam, it was obviously not due to physical labor. Seth sent him a questioning look, waiting for him to say something.

"Seth! You'll never guess what I've just learned!"

"Surprise me."

"Well, a body was found, a young stable girl. But no sign of Akifa, except for the blood you pointed out earlier. I did a ka test on it, and you were right, it's his."

Seth nodded, "I knew that snake couldn't have died so easily…"

Mahado nodded as well, "But there's something else too."

"Hmm?"

"It wasn't just his blood there, there was somebody else's."

Seth's eyes narrowed slightly, "Who's was it?"

"I don't know, it couldn't have come from any of the villagers, that's for sure."

"How do you know this?"

"Their ka was too strong, it was a white dragon….The White Dragon…"

Seth's eyes widened, "Are you sure?"

Mahado gave Seth a flat stare, "No, It must have just been a white rabbit instead. Of course I'm sure!"

"Then what are you doing here? Why didn't you follow them?"

"I thought it'd be best to report to the Pharaoh first…"

"Bah! Atemu can wait! Let's go find them, besides, he'll be much more pleased with Akifa and this person live, rather than just the fact that they're out there."

"True. Let's head out then!"

Seth and Mahado both got a strange look on their faces, seeing as how Mahado's horse had just hacked up something revolting.

"Perhaps you should get a new horse first."

"Good idea."

---

Akifa tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Kisara to catch up. He'd finally found his band's camp, and was eager for some rest. The fact that there was no smoke from the campfires, or sounds of talking from below did nothing to upset him.

The camp was located in a sandy valley, just between two dunes, and surrounded by high sand walls on every side. Akifa was standing at the edge of the valley.

Kisara, however, saw nothing but a flat plain of sand, and was quite irritated that this person had brought her to a remote place in the desert, with no other signs of human life. It was only after she'd finally caught up to him, did she see the basin below.

Kisara blinked, "Well then."

Akifa looked at her, "Indeed."

"Are we going down there?"

"You bet."

"How?"

"Like this." And with that he jumped over the edge of the basin, landing on the sandy slope below, and coasting smoothly to the bottom on his rump.

"Your turn!" He called up to her, "Move it!"

As Kisara was about to jump, however, another person yelled, "There he is! See? I told you if we waited here he would come! And there he is; Akifa the Theif Lord!"

Kisara didn't know what to do, as from behind the two dunes poured over fifty men, all royally garbed, save for twenty or so.

From the basin below, Akifa snarled, "You traitors! I'll have your hides!" And began to run quickly to the opposite end of the basin, where an escape exit had been dug.

"Quickly, men! Don't let him get away!"

The men slid down the sides of the basin, from almost every angle, swords drawn. The twenty or so men who'd once been Akifa's trustworthy band were among them, all dreaming of the mountains of gold and women they'd been promised. Those who hadn't agreed with the mutany had been slaughtered.

Kisara was frightened, she didn't want to be here any longer, or they'd spot her for sure. But, there really wasn't any place to hide. Unfourtunatly for her, the leader of the Pharaoh's guards(that of which were still cornering Akifa), had spotted her from across the basin, seeing as how he'd never jumped over the edge like the others, preferring to stay a safe distance away and watch.

Their eyes locked for a moment, and she froze, goose bumps traveling her skin. His eyes were nasty, like a demon's, and yet, there was something vaguely familiar about them, something she couldn't place, and had no real want to do so. His gaze was not pleasant, to say they least. He started to circle the rim of the sand-bowl towards her.

Upon this realization, she did her best to flee with her injured back, however, he seemed to notice that she was in pain, and ran over to her instead of walking cautiously. He knew she couldn't run from him.

Of course that wouldn't stop her from trying. No, desperately she tried to get her legs to sprint, and only ended up ripping the healing scab of a back open once more. He caught up to her quickly, and grabbed her by her arm, her very hurt arm. She hissed in pain and fright as the tender flesh was roughly handled.

She heard him chuckle at her in amusement as he said in a kind voice, "Well now? What have we here? A goddess of some sort, perhaps?" She growled at him, he was mocking her. Kisara tried her best to wriggle away, when that didn't work; she clawed futility at his hand that was holding her. "Let me go, you bastard!" He frowned, "...or just an albino rat?"

He seemed to remember something. "…Speaking of which…" He said this quietly first, then yelled to the men, "Have you got him yet?"

One man from the bottom called up, "No sir, he went through some secret door, we can't find him anywhere!"

The leader snarled, squeezing Kisara's hurt arm harder, and causing tears of pain to trickle down her cheeks, though she made no noise, her brain feverishly working to find some sort of plan, some idea, anything that would get her away!

The man looked back at her and said, all the mocking kindness gone from his voice, "At least we'll have one albino freak to give the Pharaoh." Their eyes locked again, and Kisara went numb with fright, her legs shaking beneath her before she collapsed, the strain too much for her. The leader chuckled, and turned to the men who'd gathered behind him, "Take this girl to the wagon, chain her there and make sure she doesn't move."

"But what about Akifa, sir?"

"We've dealt with him for months; a few more hours shouldn't make a difference. And besides, "He looked at Kisara, "I want to know who this girl is."

---

Seth and Mahado had returned to the village where the barn had burned, Mahado on a new horse. It had been obtained, traded for the old one and a few golden peices of jewlery. The people in the village were gathering pieces of charred wood together, and sweeping up the smaller bits…wait, sweeping?

Both Seth and Mahado leapt off their horses and raced over to the old man with the broom. Seth, angry as hell, snatched the poor old man up by his robe and said violently, "Just what the hell do you think you're doing? Pathetic fool, who told you that you could sweep here? Here of all places! Did the Pharaoh command you? Well, did he?" The man was scared shitless, but managed a weak shake of the head. "No? No, I didn't think so. Someone of your stupidity isn't worthy to sweep under the Pharaoh's command." He tossed the scared old man down and nudged him aside with a foot as he moved over to the place where he remembered the blood to be. He was livid.

Mahado tried to comfort the old man, who was crying, clutching his broom, having no idea what he did was wrong.

Seth glared down at the freshly swept sand. All traces of blood and footprints alike were gone. And who knows how long it would take to find even the barest tracks in the desert? He growled, and was about to go take his anger out on the man again, when Mahado called to him.

"Seth, I think you were a little harsh on the old man."

"Hmph, every action I take is justified, he deserved whatever he got."

"Weeel, maybe not…." Mahado's voice had a worried tone.

Seth glared at him, "What do you mean 'maybe not'?"

"He stole our horses."

Seth paused a moment, his eyes narrowing to pinpricks, "He WHAT?"

---


	7. A Rude Awakening

---

**Chapter Seven  
A Rude Awakening**

**---**

When Kisara awoke, the only thing she was really aware of was the obvious fact that it was dark…real dark. She slowly blinked a few times and tried sluggishly to move; only to discover she was held fast. Confused, she closed one eye, then the other, hardly able to keep either open. Kisara was so tired. She would have dozed off again right then and there, despite her uncomfortable position propped up against a cold gritty wall, would have, that is, until a sharp voice, surprisingly close, barked, "Change of guard!"

Kisara shook her head slightly and forced her eyes open (apparently the buggers had closed while she wasn't looking) and willed her brain to clear, a task hard to do when one was as dizzy and sleepy as she. She couldn't make out much from the dark; there were four walls, each as cold, gritty and most defiantly solid as the one she leaned upon; and then there was a wooden door with what looked like a metal plate near the top. The metal slid away to let in a stream of killer bright light, about a few feet to Kisara's left. She squinted with the sudden brightness, but after a few moments was able to see much more clearly; thus leaving her able to dimly recognize where she was. A prison cell? The light almost completely vanished as a shadowed head blocked the rays.

She watched; a bit annoyed, as the eyes adjusted themselves to the dark and began to scan the room, stopping when they found her. "All clear," The voice was different now, but still loud, "Prisoner is secure." Damn that loud annoying voice; it resounded in her head like wickedly sharpened knifes, each on a crash-course for her brain.

Kisara shuffled slightly, trying to move her hair so she wasn't sitting on it, a task hard enough in itself without the added complications of bound hands. While she was on a condemning spree she might as well damn her hair as well, it was long, hot and sticky from blood. She grimaced. Yikes, she must really need a bath…

The door creaked open and completely flooded the little room with light. Kisara pressed as close as she could to the limestone wall, only to have her healing scabs become further irritated by its gritty texture. A tall, confident looking man passed through the doorway, followed by a few others, all in uniform. She instantly recognized the man as the royal guard who'd handled her so callously. Her eyebrows furrowed and she gave him a hard stare, to which, he smiled.

"So it seems our desert mouse has finally awoken." He turned to the uniformed man nearest him, "What's it been now, a day?" The man nodded in the affirmative and the confident one chuckled humorlessly. "You must be ever so thirsty. Hungry perhaps?"

Damn him too for having mentioned it, notifying her to her parched throat and ravenous hunger. Kisara nervously swallowed and tried to force out a retort, but, nothing came forth to aide her. Oh but if her throat didn't feel like it was clogged with sand!

The lead guard's smile tilted cruelly, "Hmm, I thought so. It's too bad you aren't going to be getting anything."

Kisara balked. Were they planning on starving her? No she'd die of thirst for sure.

"At least not until you've answered a few of our questions." His smile vanished.

"Why were you with the Thief Lord?"

Thief Lord? Who the hell was that!? No, not a time for questions, Kisara told herself, answer him, answer him! Her voice cracked hoarsely as she spoke, "Who?" Brilliant.

The guard sneered and took a menacing step forward, "Not a good answer for someone in your predicament."

Kisara felt like she was going to be sick. She was still dizzy, and fatigue from lack of nutrition and sunlight was taking its toll. Kisara felt like the living dead, and was positive she looked the part as well. She was a bit hesitant to open her mouth, for fear whatever it was she'd last consumed would come back to greet her…so she stayed quiet, and looked away. Yet, something clicked at the before mentioned name, vaguely so, but still. A moment was all she would have needed to fully recall, but then:

The lead guard closed the distance between them with a few terse strides and grabbed a hold of her hair roughly, inducing a startled yelp from Kisara. "You'd better answer me."

Kisara's last drop of defiance had long since evaporated, so she said meekly, "I..." Kisara paused to swallow away the sand-clog, "I don't know….I-I can't remember…" The guard snarled and raised his hand to strike the pale woman.

There was a movement behind the guards, and a new person stepped forth, saying as he did, "Takhor? What are you still doing here?" He was dressed in while linen and had peculiar markings on his face. Yes, the Royal Priest, Shada. The priest's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Kisara, but he nevertheless kept his attentions secure on Takhor, who was frozen mid-strike.

Takhor didn't immediately turn around; he uttered a few choice words under his breath first, then about-faced, letting go of Kisara's hair as he did so and letting his hand fall to his side.

He lowered himself to one knee while he said, "Lord Priest, this prisoner's hair…" He paused; thinking of the words he needed. Shada arched an eyebrow and looked over at Kisara, who was rubbing her head staring at Takhor like he was mad. But, indeed, her hair was a shade that he had never seen before…

"Go on." Shada said, looking again at Takhor, who said, "Yes, well, I was thinking that, because of her associations with Akifa…"

Shada interrupted, "The Thief Lord? What does she know of him?"

"I haven't gotten the opportunity to ask her-"

Shada cut in yet again, "And it's good you didn't."

Takhor looked up at Shada, knowing what he was going to say.

"It's the priest's duty to interrogate any persons with relations to Akifa."

Takhor sighed, "Yes, but first, I want her hair cut, no," He smirked to himself, "removed."

Shada blinked in mild surprise at the Lead guard's unnecessary and unusual punishment; and was about to refuse, then, thought better. If this girl was indeed a thief herself, it would be far too easy to hide weapons or other tools in the matted mane. He looked over her frame; there wasn't much she could hide there; her clothes were naught but rags. Strange fabric too… Oh but he had no choice, he had to do what was safest.

"Very well." He said, "Let her hair be removed."

Kisara looked at him, begging him silently to reconsider. She wasn't a thief! She knew no 'Thief Lord'! Why, oh why was she being punished this way? "For safety." He said, though, he was unsure as to whether it was to console her or himself.

Takhor stood, and Shada was about to leave, when the priest said, "Make sure you get her a change of clothes." And he left.

Takhor signaled to one of the guards, and the guard, rather on the bulky side, promptly handed his superior a knife. Kisara shivered with fright and closed her eyes as Takhor approached, his smile a wicked one.

---

In another city, not too far away, Akifa cursed himself for his stupidity. He should have known those rats would have betrayed him. But then again, how could he have? He grumbled and took another large bite out of the loaf of bread he was eating. It wasn't the greatest, but it was the best you were going to find at this nowhere tavern.

And that girl…He wondered where she was. He mentally shrugged; swallowing. She's probably dead by now anyway. The thought irked him, oddly enough. Peh; whatever. It's her own damn fault for….for what? Akifa thought, but he couldn't recall anything she'd done wrong to deserve anything like being taken by those soldiers….save for being seen with him.

Oh no, here's where the guilt would come in, and he wanted no damn part in it. So with a snort and a gulp of whiskey he threw some gold at the tavern owner and stalked out to clear his head (a bit hard to do after a few shots of whiskey, dear).

---

Shada had returned to the throne room, his mind troubled. That prisoner didn't seem like a thief to him; in fact…she seemed quite the opposite, angelic almost…Had he made the right choice? Isis was looking at him with a mild concern, but he took no notice.

It was silent in the room, as it usually was, wait…no it wasn't. The room was usually filled with sound of arguing, coming mostly from the oh-so-innocent Priest Seth. Shada looked around, where was he anyway? A second glace found yet another missing priest. Where was Mahado?

---

To answer him, they were currently in the back of a wagon filled with hay, bouncing ever-so-kingly down a crowded city marketplace. After having their horses stolen, they'd been left no other choice but to return to the palace. However, this just happened to be the only free cross-desert transportation available, as they both don't normally take their purses out to inspect burned barns, and they'd traded their jewelry for a new horse for Mahado. What a waste.

Mahado was as far away from Seth as he could manage with the wagon so small (as it was fit to a single mule). Who would want to be close to the priest? Seth looked like he would murder the first person to come within a foot of him.

His lips were curled in a silent snarl, one of his knees bent with his arm slung over it, the fist gripping the fabric of his pant leg roughly, the other leg dangled over the edge of the wagon bed, while his other arm supported him, the fist attached clutching a bunch of loose hay. The top of his hat was piled with straw, and Mahado found it all very funny-looking, but considering the fact that he liked being alive, he managed to keep quiet for the duration of the ride about it.

When they arrived at the palace, there was whispering among the guards and even giggling among the servants as Seth and Mahado entered the courtyard through the front gates, covered with loose hay. They'd both wanted to have some dignity after their trip, and had thus made the wagon-driver pull over before reaching the actual palace. They'd also tried their best to knock as much straw from themselves as possible, though, Seth had forgotten about the pile on his hat, and Mahado was still keen on living, thus, nothing was mentioned as the noble priest stalked across the courtyard, his royal hat leaving behind a majestic trail of straw.

When they both burst into the throne room, Mahado was making sure to stay well behind Seth, dare the other priest see him turning blue from holding in laughter. "Your Majesty!" Seth cried upon entering, stepping proudly before Atem, the hay ever-present. "I bring great news!" Atem stared at Seth for a moment before stating, "You've got a pile of straw on your hat. What have you been doing?" Seth let his jaw hang slack for a moment before ripping the accessory of his head, hurling it at Mahado, who caught it, though just barely, and used it to hide his snickers

"Never mind! There's something you need to know." Atem straightened up in his throne, and listened intently as his hat-haired priest relayed Mahado's information about the ka tests. Atem looked grave, "Whomever this person is with Akifa must be considered an extreme threat." He paused, "And you say the other's ka was a white dragon?" Seth nodded in the affirmative.

Now, Shada had started thinking as soon as they mentioned evidence of a person accompanying Akifa, but things had clicked at the mention of the white dragon. He grimaced, so that girl then…she really was a criminal. And a powerful one too! He had to tell Atem. "Your Majesty!" He'd interrupted (not surprising coming from him anymore…), "We have just attained a new prisoner who was captured accompanying Akifa!" All in the room stared at Shada with varied looks of surprise. Atem; now leaning foreword on the throne, "And? Has he been interrogated yet?" Shada cringed, "No, she hasn't." It seemed bad to say, for the priests' reputation. How good would it look for them to have let a powerful acquaintance of Akifa go un-checked?

He could have hit himself. And with a ka that powerful, she must be incredibly dark; all the priests knew that the really powerful ka only spawned from evil souls. So why white? Bah, no time to think, they were all already heading down to the dungeons.

Kisara was crying softly, cradling the remains of her hair in her arms. Takhor and his minions had already left long ago, their task completed. Though, unfortunately for Kisara, they weren't the most graceful of hair-cutters. More than once the large, curved knife had slipped and cut her, and the random hacking of her beautiful tresses had left it botched and mangled. Sure her head was lighter, cooler, and a bit cleaner now that the blood-stained tatters were in her arms; but she felt naked without her long hair. For some reason she couldn't recall, her hair had always been an important reminder for her…of something…someone…

The sounds of many footsteps heading her way, and the newfound feeling of being naked and un-protected, had Kisara feeling like a cornered mouse with nowhere to escape. The door was opened. Her terrified blue eyes widened slightly, and filled with a strange relief when the first face she saw, however peeved it appeared, also contained blue eyes (and quickly-smoothed-down hat-hair). A rarity here, she'd discovered. The color was familiar, almost comforting.

The feeling was lost as others appeared in the doorway. She could recognize the priest from earlier, the one who'd ordered the removal of her precious hair. She glowered inwardly, and would have done so outwardly as well, had not a most powerful aura filled the room. It commanded respect and bled authority, this aura did. Kisara didn't like it; its presence made her want to rebel mulishly, fight its command. Something inside her refused to be tamed, while her conscious mind would have rolled over and danced had she been told to do so.

Shada lowered his eyes at the sight of the girl, whose face was bleeding, and who looked so very ugly without her hair. He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty, but, after a look from Atem, raised his gaze from the floor.

Mahado felt slightly for the piteous looking creature behind the door, and had to remind and steel himself that she was a dangerous ally of Akifa, not to be trusted or pitied.

Atem was worried, she did indeed have a power about her, though, he was unable to detect whether or not this power was a good thing, for them. He gave Shada a look, noticing the priest looking away, then said to Kisara, "You, you are acquainted with Akifa are you not?"

Kisara cringed at the way her white-haired savior's name was spoken; like it was poisonous. She immediately took upon a distinct dislike of this new powerful person, having no clue that he was, indeed, worshiped as a god, though she was smart enough to know he was a titled person (kinda hard to mistake…). "Yes, I know who he is."

It had taken her not very long to connect the dots. After all, she'd only been hanging around one person since she awoke in this strange world, who else could they have seen her with?

The others seemed to stiffen as she answered, as if all of them were either confirming the fact that this innocent-looking woman was indeed a threat, or, expecting some sort of attack; not to speak.

Atem nodded gravely, "Indeed. What's your name?"

She didn't take her eyes from the commanding person in front, though her eyes really wanted to scan the others, "First tell me yours!" She said with a tone that could only have been induced by Atem. She was starting to really, really hate this guy. But the thing is, she didn't quite know why. Partly it was the name thing. For some odd reason indignation had flared passionately when he requested her name without revealing his own. Like a long-abided policy being broken. She hated the fact that his aura blocked out the others, that it was so demanding, and the way that he acted like he was king of the friggin world. Little did she know, to all of the people outside her cell, he was.

"And the rest of you!" She said, letting her eyes finally glide over the other priests, "What are their names?" Her gaze lingered on the other pair of blue eyes, but only briefly before looking back to Atem, her defiance glass having been refilled in her conversation with the Pharaoh, and on the verge of overflowing.

Seth was outraged, "Preposterous! How dare you, a mere thief, order the Pharaoh about?" His voice was harsh, and Kisara's angry defiance briefly deflated to be replaced with hurt. She had thought, stupidly, that the other blue-eyed one would have some mercy towards her. Then her brain registered something other than the way he sounded, miraculously she managed to catch (at least part) of what he'd said.

She bristled with annoyance. Why the hell were they all so obsessed with thieves!? Sure, she'd come to terms with the fact that Akifa was a thief, but her? No. "I'm NOT a thief!"

Seth snorted, "Say whatever you like, not like it'll do you any good to lie."

Kisara paused, "What?" Were they going to kill her either way?

Atem stepped in at last, "Are you saying you know naught of the priest's abilities?" Surely if she was Akifa's accomplice, she'd know at least something of the priest's sennen powers. The white-haired scoundrel had faced them many times before.

"Priests? You're all priests?" Kisara looked them over; somehow, they didn't fit the image that came to mind where the holy people were concerned…

It was silent for a moment, and everyone was thinking it, when suddenly Karim said it, "She's delusional."

Kisara snorted, obviously offended, though no one paid her any mind.

Seth crossed his arms over his chest, "She's lying, obviously."

Seth smirked, "How about we refresh your memory?" His hand slipped behind his back, but Atem stopped any further movement with a quick gesture of his hand.

"Seth! Your help is not needed." He stared at Kisara then sighed, "I'm sorry, but we have to do what's necessary." He nodded at Shada and Karim and stepped back to let the two do what they did best.

….

AN: Ha-ha! …crickets –sigh- Yes, I realize that that was a cruddy excuse for a cliffhanger…v.v please forgive. –beams- and review! That always helps! Gah! I've had this chapter written -forever-! I thought I posted it MONTHS ago! T.T I'm so sorry! For all of you that are still around, thank you! For those who've left...well, you've left so you aren't reading this anyway. XD! But, nonetheless: I understand. o.O I'd have abandoned myself too.


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